


golden kiss

by the_golden_eyed_count



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Closeted Character, Coming Out, Love, M/M, Magnus-friendly, Not Canon Compliant, Sort Of, Surprise Endgame Couple, Surprise Ending, True Love's Kiss, Who Will He Choose??, bending canon to suit plot :), but for jace alec and magnus, seelie court scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12755775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_golden_eyed_count/pseuds/the_golden_eyed_count
Summary: “You have to make a choice,” the Seelie Queen said. “Who do you love, Alexander Lightwood?”Alec flinched at his full name, but she kept going.“Which is more important to you? Which kiss do you desire most?”Who will Alec choose? Read to find out!





	golden kiss

**Author's Note:**

> **change in canon plot includes: ******  
> -alec is still closeted  
>  -he stopped the wedding in private after talking to magnus, and kissed him at the loft. no one but isabelle and catarina know about their relationship.  
> -alec is personally proposing the council to the seelie queen (he's already proposed it to the others: luke has accepted hesitantly, magnus has also accepted, raphael has agreed to think it over)  
> -the seelie queen is not overly fond of magnus lol  
> -the temporary malec breakup has happened? i guess? but they made up already  
> -the seelie queen is trying to get magnus on her side because she knows valentine has the soul sword and has escaped. like i said, the timeline is whacked up lol  
> -she is still in league with valentine, but she needs magnus for both her plans and valentine's (although she plans to betray him)  
> -although alec may just convince her with his loooove  
> -the ending is kind of abrupt because i wasn't sure how to tie up the politics without writing a multichapter story which i just don't have the dedication for  
> -lol most of this won't even come into account during this fic but i've thought waaaaaaaaay too much about this au lmao

 

 

 

“I stand by Alec,” Magnus said, voice firm and cool. “He’s doing the right thing, even if he may need some guidance.”

“And you love him,” the Seelie Queen observed, sounding distantly amused. There was something cruel in the tilt of her head as she spoke. “Or you claim to. But does he love you?” she asked, blood red lips twisted into a smirk as she passed behind Magnus, breath brushing his neck. He stiffened, refusing to show any emotion.

“Shadowhunters always choose their own, Magnus,” she said. His first name coming from her lips made him shiver. “Remember that when you must choose a side.”

Her knowing smirk makes Magnus’s heart feel cold and heavy.

There was a long, cold moment of absolute stillness. The world seemed unnaturally cold, and Magnus almost didn’t dare to move.

Then the moment was abruptly broken as she turned away, dress sweeping behind her as she began to make her away to curtain of thorny vines.

She waved her hand carelessly, and they parted, revealing two figures emerging from the mist.

Magnus froze. Alec and Jace entered the clearing, shoulders brushing as they approached.

They weren’t supposed to be there, were they? As far as Magnus knew, they had no business with the Seelie Queen. None that Alec had mentioned.

Alec’s eyes widened as he saw Magnus. “Magnus,” he said uncertainly. “What are you… doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Magnus said, frowning, but he was interrupted by the Seelie Queen snapping her fingers sharply.

Vines sprang from the ground and ensnared Magnus. He struggled, but the vines only got tighter. When he looked up, body completely bound, hands tightly pressed together behind his back, Jace was similarly bound.

“You have a choice to make,” the Seelie Queen purred.

“What?!” Alec asked in a vaguely panicked voice, looking between them. “I- you can’t do this. None of us have eaten any food while we were here, or harmed anyone. We haven’t provoked-”

“You killed my subjects,” the Queen shrugged, barely hiding a small smile. She put her hand up as if examining her perfectly painted and pointed nails. Gnats flitted between her fingers.

“The gnats,” Alec breathed in realization. “Damn it, Jace.”

“How was I supposed to know?” Jace protested. “They were gnats! And they kept biting me!”

Alec looked back and forth between them. The vines tightened momentarily, making Magnus gasp slightly and silencing Jace’s complaints.

“You have to make a choice,” the Queen said again. “Who do you love, Alexander Lightwood?”

Alec flinched at his full name, but she kept going.

“Which is more important to you? Which _kiss_ do you desire most?”

Alec’s eyes widened. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense, anyway,” Jace said.

“I can name my price for your freedom,” the Seelie Queen said loftily. “And I want entertainment.” Her eyes gleamed, flicking to Magnus. “And proof of my theories.”

Magnus put his chin up. “You may have claim to these shadowhunters, but I’m not part of their party. I am a guest here, and I have not violated any rules.”

Alec looked him aghast.

The Seelie Queen tutted. “Leaving your lover high and dry? For shame, _Magnus._ ”

Jace scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. “Lover?”

Magnus scowled, ignoring him. “I am leaving _no one,_ ” he said. “But I am doing no one any favors tied up like this.”

She laughed, high and musical and sinister. “I will free you if you wish,” she said, “But if you are freed before the boy makes his choice, then I will kill them both.”

Magnus’s eyes widened. He said nothing else.

“As I thought,” she said smugly.

“Lover?!” Jace demanded again. “Alec doesn’t have a _lover._ Especially not him. He would’ve told me.”

Alec winced.

Jace looked at him as if seeing him in a new light. “ _Alec?”_ he asked, sounding betrayed.

“I am running out of patience,” the Queen sighed, and clenched her fist. The vines tightened abruptly, squeezing around Magnus’s chest and constricting his breathing.

Jace seemed to be equally helpless, gasping for breath.

“Stop!” Alec cried.

“You know how to stop it,” the Seelie Queen sang. “Kiss the one you love, not the one you claim to love, and all will be well!”

“No,” Alec said wildly, looking over at Jace as if to assess his reaction.

“The vines will know if you lie,” the Queen said softly, voice cruel and teasing even its light tone.

“Alec…” Jace said, breathing choked but face serious. “I know.”

“W-what?”

“I know. I’ve always known. There’s nothing wrong with you, okay? You can-“ he choked slightly, “you can trust me. I won’t judge you.”

Magnus, face set in stone, spoke quietly. “I will not judge you either, Alec. You know that.”

His heart sank. He felt _gutted._ The Seelie Queen was right. Alec still loved Jace.

Shadowhunters will always chose their own.

Alec looked between them desperately, unsure of what to do.

“Alec,” Magnus said again, quiet and resolute. If Alec didn’t love him… well, at least one of them could be happy. “It’s okay.”

Alec glanced at him hopelessly, then began to walk towards Jace. He took a deep breath, looking determined.

The Queen looked smugly on, watching heartbreak flicker across the warlock’s face. Just as she’d planned. Taking advantage of the young shadowhunter’s feelings for the other had paid off.

Who knows? Maybe they would even be happy together. The Queen didn’t care as long as she got Magnus Bane on her side.

“You knew?” he whispered. “This whole time, you knew how I felt?”

“Yes,” Jace admitted. “I knew.”

Alec’s face twisted. He looked like he might cry.

Then he just looked angry.

And he punched Jace in the face.

“Ow!” Jace cried. “What the fuck?”

Even the vines seemed to slacken as if in surprise.

“You asshole!” Alec yelled. “You knew how I felt this _whole fucking time?_ And you didn’t say anything? You’re my parabatai. If you really knew that I was- that I was _gay_ this whole time, then you knew _everything._ How alone I felt, how disgusting and wrong I felt. And you never _once_ said _anything?_ ”

“Well, you were the one with the stupid crush on me!” Jace snapped back hotly. “I didn’t want to tell you in case you got weird about it. You know I love you, man, but you’re my brother! Besides, I thought you knew I’d accept you! But I guess you don’t trust me at all, huh, lover boy?”

“Fuck you,” Alec said angrily, looking like he might punch Jace again, then and he marched back over to Magnus and took his face in his palms.

Magnus’s face was slack with open surprise and hesitant hope.

Alec leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss was soft and gentle in a sharp contrast with the hard anger that had defined his every movement only moments ago.

It was golden and soft and warm like sunshine... and Magnus melted into it, barely noticing as the vines trembled and fell away, barely noticing Jace’s gasp of relief in the background.

His head was spinning, but Alec’s lips were warm and soft and perfect.

The Seelie Queen had… not expected that. She was genuinely surprised. She’d expected him to try, but she hadn’t expected the spell to loosen and release them.

But apparently, this was truly the shadowhunter’s most desired kiss- the kiss of a _warlock._

Alec’s arms slowly wound around him, pulling him closer, and Magnus kissed back eagerly, snapping out of his shock.

After what felt like days, they broke apart naturally, foreheads resting against each other as Alec breathed against his mouth, warm hazel eyes boring into Magnus’s.

“I thought…” Magnus said breathlessly. “I thought you were going to…”

“Choose Jace?” Alec asked softly. “…Never. I love _you._ And only you. I don’t… I don’t love Jace, not like that. I had a crush on him once, a long time ago, because he was the only guy my age I knew growing up… and, believe it or not, he used to be kind of a good friend.”

Jace made a vague, disbelieving sound at _used to be,_ but they both ignored him.

Magnus let out a laugh, almost tearful, even though it wasn’t really funny. He was just so… so unbelieving, so unsure that something this good could possibly be real… “Even I can admit Chase is moderately attractive,” he said. “But other than that…”

Alec grinned. “Yeah,” he said, “Not sure what I really saw in him.”

(“I’m right here!” Jace said in the background, but they continued to be too wrapped up in their embrace to care.)

“But I… I love you. Not him.” Alec continued

“I love you, too,” Magnus said, touched and overjoyed. Alec _loved him._ Alec loved him. Not blondie, not someone else. _Magnus._

“Well, well,” the Seelie Queen interrupted, voice sharp and clear as a bell. Her voice effectively cut through their conversation much better than Jace’s had. “Isn’t this… precious.”

Alec didn’t push Magnus away, merely turning to her and managing a surprisingly put-together look on his face as he raised an eyebrow.

He could never have been this confident and fearless facing someone like the Seelie Queen before he met Magnus. But now, he was out in the open, he loved Magnus and Magnus loved him and he felt _fucking invincible._

“You surprise me, shadowhunter,” she said, seeming to be quietly weighing her options. “You chose a warlock.”

“You thought I would kiss Jace,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

She inclined her head in agreement.

Alec took a breath. He adjusted his stance, grasping Magnus’s hand as he turned to face the Queen, standing by his boyfriend’s side.

“I love Magnus,” he said firmly. “And I do love my brother… even though he can be an asshole,” he glanced at Jace with narrowed eyes, then back at the Queen, smoothing out all expression. “But I _love_ Magnus. And when I propose an alliance between the New York Institute and the downworlders of New York, my intentions are pure. I want peace. Equality. And while I may make mistakes, and stumble along the way…” He glanced at Magnus. “I have people I care about to help guide me.”

He looked her in the eyes.

She was surprised- which was rare. In her thousands of years of living, she was rarely surprised anymore. This was a strong, confident young man, one who might just succeed at the seemingly unattainable goals he had set himself.

“I humbly propose a downworld council,” he said. “To unite against the Circle… _and_ against the unfair practices of the Clave.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement,” the Queen said coolly. And to her own surprise, some tiny part of her was actually amiable to the idea.

Of course, it was unlikely she would change her plans. But the thought was nice.

 

 

_epilogue_

And later, when Jace had been herded back to the Institute- Alec still wasn’t talking to him, and while it wouldn’t last forever, Alec still felt a little guilty at how _nice_ it was to get a break from hearing Jace constantly yammer about his own problems and Clary- Alec went back to the loft with Magnus.

They didn’t do much but collapse in exhaustion on their bed, entwining together immediately.

And he held Magnus close, arms wrapped tightly around him, Magnus’s face buried in his neck.

“I really, really love you,” he breathed into Magnus’s hair.

Magnus smiled against his deflect rune, the expression soft and disbelieving and overjoyed. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “So much, Alexander.”

His whole body shivered and curled in to Alec’s, crowding as close as he possibly could to Alec’s warmth.

Alec pressed a kiss to his forehead, one hand rubbing up and down Magnus’s back soothingly.

Magnus sighed in his arms, happy and content, body utterly and beautifully relaxed.

 _This-_ this right here, holding Magnus in his arms and tangling their legs together under the covers, their bodies slotting perfectly together- this was what Alec loved going to sleep with. This was one of the many, many, _many_ reasons Alec loved Magnus.

And he loved holding Magnus, loved how the warlock relaxed in his arms and became pliant and vulnerable. He loved how Magnus cuddled with him shamelessly, relishing how their warm skin pressed together just as much as Alec did.

Really, Magnus was perfect for Alec. They fit together like puzzle pieces, slotting perfectly together.

Jace was like a puzzle piece that, sure, mostly seemed to fit to Alec’s sides, but was also from a completely different puzzle that depicted something completely, absurdly different.

He wasn’t a bad person. Not really. And he was Alec’s brother- Alec _did_ love him, even if he was a little shit sometimes.

But, _fuck._ Alec was glad that he’d never really been in love with Jace.

Jace was selfish and arrogant. He was cocky and reckless and _stupid._ And while sometimes he made it clear how much he cared, and sometimes he showed thin layers of insecurity under the arrogance, but he was still, ultimately, the perfect golden boy who always made a thousand messes for Alec to clean up, who didn’t care when Alec broke up with Magnus and was _destroyed,_ who thought lesser of Alec’s boyfriend because he was a warlock, who _agreed_ with the Inquisitor when she insisted on chipping downworlders like animals. Who had never made any effort to try things Alec liked or spend time with him outside of doing what Jace liked, who had always gotten his way without a fuss, who had never done any wrong in the eyes of their parents. Who always insisted on being the center of attention, who wasn't afraid to turn his back on Alec in a moment's notice.

Magnus was… was everything he wasn’t. He was selfless and beautiful and kind-hearted. He was confident, but not to the point of arrogance and overstuffed pride. He willingly let himself be vulnerable around Alec, trusted him with his insecurities. He took responsibility for his mistakes and cleaned up his own messes, apologized when he needed to. He was intelligent and funny and he made Alec _laugh._ He tried to learn Alec’s interests, he eagerly participated in things Alec liked. Alec never felt awkward or unwanted around him. Just loved, and protected. And he never,  _ever_ worried that Magnus abandon him or hurt him. They'd had a few rough patches but they'd only ever come out stronger.

Magnus was everything he needed. Everything he wanted.

Jace was... the only reason Alec really needed him was because of how their souls were connected. He couldn't actually rely on Jace anymore. Couldn't talk to him. Really, the only reason they hadn't drifted apart even further than they already had was because of a binding lifetime soulbond contract they'd signed as dumb teenagers.

Magnus, however, was a choice. Someone he could rely on, someone he could love, someone he'd  _chosen._

And Alec was _damn lucky_ to have him. Lucky Magnus had chosen him in return.

Magnus mumbled something against his neck. He sounded sleepy and incomprehensible.

“What?” Alec murmured.

“Love you…” Magnus repeated, lifting his head slightly so the sound would carry further, before dropping his head back into the crook of Alec’s neck, warm breath tickling his skin.

“Love you, too,” Alec said, smiling as he squeezed his arms around Magnus slightly. Magnus nuzzled into his neck, loving the feeling of his shadowhunter's strong arms around him.

Life was good. Everything was golden.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> 01101100 01101101 01100001 01101111 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01100001 01101100 01100101 01100011 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100011 01101000 01101111 01101111 01110011 01100101 00100000 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110111 01101000 01101001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01100010 01110010 01101111 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100001 01110101 01110100 01101001 01100110 01110101 01101100 00100000 01100010 01101111 01111001 01100110 01110010 01101001 01100101 01101110 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01101001 01100011 01101011 00100000 01100110 01110101 01100011 01101011 01110011
> 
> inspired by my friend @mbabestan on tumblr :)
> 
> hey, look! i'm not anon anymore. sort of. lmao


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